Saturday afternoon this crawled from the darker corners of my head and on to the printed page. Master Mark Morgan helped feed the process and Miss Siri Wilson provided fries and beer. The show will be a screamer in the hellish forests of Monster Island. It will be a pleasure and punishment to play with the mighty Dirty Faces who are always dressed as a train wreck underneath their ghoulish attire.
These should start appearing in the neighborhood in the next couple days. Check out what appears to be a show chock full of bands from the Westest Coasts. It is a daytime show so most will be chained to cubicles. It will be a joyous occasion for those of us playing hooky or under/un employed. The fun of these are that they are essentially the same city skyline flipped and reversed.
The nerd niche night known as Violence Grows is back at Bruar Falls. The evening was inspired by this and was here for a long time and even inspired a drawing brunch or two. Tuesday, August 11 around 9:43pm You and all those in the territory are invited to bring yourselves to an evening of movie projections, collective drawing and flyer making, and record playing. We all sit around spinning a few records, watching movies that do not require sound, and drawing the flyer for next time. Cinders hosted this flyer by Maya, Blok and me. The event is free excepting the amount of money you decide to spend on booze which Bruar Falls will appreciate.
There are times that a person is asked to step up and make a work of beauty for nothing more than "what it will get you for putting your name on it". I find myself procrastinating by reading things for the porpoise of dissing and covering things. One strange set of number logic that is interesting to us here near ground zero is as follows: Michael Jackson died at fifty years old about to turn fifty one this year. William S. Burroughs wrote "Naked Lunch" fifty one years ago and got it published fifty years ago. If you spend too much time thinking about Burroughs, The Crucifucks, Arthur Arbit, and Prince then you, dear reader, might just find a connection. I only feel it but look forward to the education. It was Ringo Star's Birthday yesterday and some people think "Weird Al" might have croaked tonight. I certainly hope one of these things is wrong but fifty is a righter number in 2009 than twenty three.
There are moments when you realize that the fears you had as a child are not real but simply a a movie or a dream. You feel safer and more confident. You visit the places that scared you and find they are familiar. You learn to live your life feeling safe and secure. There is then a moment when walking your bike home because a loved one is beside you when the horror returns. You realize that people still buy alligators for their progeny when both are small and cute. One gets abandoned in the sewers and the other most likely stars in reality television because all they know how to do is flush or abandon. You realize good things are still can happen because these alligators still roam free in this city. All the myths are still true unless you think you might make it big by playing a legendary rock club. There are no country, blue grass and/or blues clubs to play but maybe a SPR or two.
The fine bands Red Dawn II, The Hard Nips, Cathy and Kocho Bi Sexual will attempt to create a rock show on the street in front of Sodafine because of this. Come out around 4pm and then help Allison and me carry gear over to Monster Island for this reason.
We have a deep amount of things in this box for our 3 to 6 fans. If you see us out please inquire within. If we can't find you something for your back or your ears then we'll let you have a peek at the dirty magazine doubling as our signage. You can then grip a Red Dawn II pin designed by Joly for free.
This amazing piece was installed on the street in front of the gallery. I caught my eye and I quickly made my way into the gallery to inquire as to the accomplished Ohio artist that had boldly constructed the piece. I entered the gallery and looked around but there was a distinctly different vibe inside as out. I inquired as to the name of the installation and it's creator. The gallery informed me that it was placed there by the City workers of Cleveland, Ohio. They were not represented by the gallery but had been inclined to create by the necessity of the city. Well done.
I have been taking some time to Dj much to several Soho employees regret. Playing shows with all kinds of violent bullshit and even just straight up bullshit which I will leave hyperlinkless. Red Dawn II will be stumbling through the Middle East and into Michigan this weekend. In the next couple daze, we hope to settle into finishing a few songs to put out for someone's listening pleasure. In the meantime, I am going to be trying not to hang out with this guy so much. He kind of dresses like a child molester and has not qualms about it. He often says "Society doesn't affect change on you unless you let your own criminalizing thoughts change the way you think you are perceived by Society. If you look like a clown or a child molester but you are not one then why worry what Society thinks you look like unless,of course, you are one of those things?" I always have to remind myself that he doesn't give the best advice. He is a bowlful of fun especially if you get him up on a line.
This should be a fun show. Red Dawn II just finished recording their record and although they are not a draw they are having fun. The same goes for anybody else on this bill. There will be coffee.
I have been in Cleveland,Ohio hanging out with a lot of sorted things. These two fellows are a couple of cards. The always have a good joke to tell if you are willing to spend enough time with them but all their Swine Flu jokes I would pan... They are always up for a good lunch in the proper locale at the appropriate time. Nate's Deli (1923 W. 25th St. Cleveland, OH 44113 216-696-7529) is never a disappointment. The fatoosh salad even has OJ asking about if it was had and if it is still as good as memory serves. It is, of course, and my furry friend can confirm. The conversation wandered to goals, debts, and savings. It got a little fishy in the exchange but affirmed all of our life choices. It is so easy to be envious of a shark when you are not one but never forget a shark might tell you some things that remind you that it can be hard to be one. We talked about whether you are throwing caution to the wind, doing something you love, saving for an arthritic retirement, buying radical wallpaper or even ripping it out of a house....you are never far from losing it all so live it to the hilt. The dog coined the "live it to the hilt" phrase. You might have a fleet of Tonka trunks today but somebody else who knows how to use those trucks better than you might just bury them in their yard. I know I am getting ahead of the discourse and forgetting all the years of bail outs between those moments but so should we. The one thing we all agreed upon is that even if a dumb piece of shit has finished his run as president in our hometown there is another about to get elected somewhere else like, say, Chile. We left the diner and I discussed with Sharky how awesome Talk Normal is. The dog is really loving Bathory and Sibylle Baier. The dog had to give credit not to J Mascis but to Nico Multi for those jams.
This was sent to me from John Schaffer. John and I went to high school together and had lockers next to each other for years because my name at the time was Scharf and then there was Schaffer. John had a love for David Bowie and I had an interest in further exploring the works of Mr. Bowie. This was because I was spending many hours listening to the glamorous Gothic sounds of Bauhaus. Since there was an emphasis on glam the band had covered some Bowie. We entered into a prehistoric kind of file sharing arrangement. I would loan John the records of Bauhaus in exchange for the wax of Mr. Bowie. In a short time, I owned nearly thirty records by Bowie. Always trying to find new ways to kill time in study hall we began to illustrate Bowie song lyrics and titles. This is one that I did of Bowie song titles from then. It is spooky how little my hand seems to have changed. See how many you can find. (A little hint is that we there weren't any records recorded after Tonight when the drawing was created.)
One has to wonder what the last thought or words any of these guys were thinking. It usually results in an eruption of laughter allowing one to ignore the obvious sadness.
"...I attached a picture of flat eric sitting on our opposite rooftop. sometimes he moves his legs a little while birds eat his brain. my friend johannes found that filthy disgusting thing on a garbage can another day. it scares the shit out of the kids hanging in the backyard. they try to shoot him with stones and litter. cruel world."
This brought me an incredible amount of joy today.
There is a strange thing that can occur in the course and wake of many things too silly to.... illustrate especially when you start a sentence at the end of the night and have to finish it in the morning. This is a picture from a sociological study from Lowell called "Heavy Metal Druggies". It is Zargor the Bad Rocker. Lazy Eyes sent me this when he had a moment to contemplate his connections to Lowell. The next picture is the strange symbol carved into the gravestone visited yesterday. I am sure both have deeper meanings which I do not understand but swear to pursue. Until then, enjoy the similarities between the images.
In the wake of a "lecture" and an art opening; we decided to find the grave of this man. It is stoopid and confused to think that it would be anything more than what it actually was. I was impressed by the insertion of pens on the grave of a man who typed. The logic is a like the blade of a BBQ lance with a pineapple laced with spice when you prefer a microwave. The most amazing aspect of the experience was the insertion of a Portland Pie Co. rewards card on the grave. Is there a connection that I have missed about the Beats and pie? I love the pens and can only hope some brave soul takes one from the site and writes/draws something that is awesome and could be inserted in the ground near the grave.
Some shots of the installation Here The person lurking in front of the wall of posters in the last shot is Bill Kaizen. He curated the show and incidentally put the K in Kayrock. The show opens tomorrow and the battery for the camera has died miles from a charger. I hope provide some more shots in the coming days and maybe even a shot atop John Kerouac's final resting place.
Some posters cum art for a show in Vienna, Austria. Here If poorly and awkwardly lined in a row can create a visual effect of a low wall of black squares with the occasional one hung with red thread. In classic fasion the designer has decided to forgo any real information on the artists, times, and content for a series of numbers(which can be deciphered) and curator credit. There are about fifty which will ship on Monday for Austrian shores.
As temperatures begin to ascend in New York, I reflect back to the early morning walk in the declining temperatures of the the Chilean Fall. After walking Rafi to school, Loma P and I hit the dirt around Zapallar. Off in the distance stood the tree which protects the shrine of Freddie Mercury. We passed along the beach contemplating the monotony and joy that must pass through the beach cleaner every morning as he faces another day in Zapallar and a beach full of seaweed and trash. He definitely needs to borrow his kids portable music device to enhance his day once in a while. I like to think he enjoys the sound of the ocean crashing down around him. We made it to the energy cave and off to a distant rock perched in the water. There we talked of religion and the ability to survive falling into the water right where we were. I am sure there was a connection. We headed back to meet Coni rising with bread and avocado. We stopped in the store where I shot the Kitty food. Why would you want to feed your cat something that causes fits?
Listening to the Batman Soundtrack by Prince. One photo is from the lobby of The Dark Knight. One photo is from the streets of Greenpoint. One photo is the crowd at a Sonic Youth Show in Santiago. Have fun figuring which is which.
If you look closely you can make out the smaller revealing sign which reads, "Do Not Enter" I set upon the city anyway to find warm sun and friends at a Kayrock house BBQ. The presents delivered and Cumbia danced. Today the city reminded you with too much to do and rain that it is the place to be.
TALL SIRS y JEREMY LEMOS/STEVE SHELLEY/MATT ZIVICH TRIO
Un festival de rock que solo pretende traer una buena tarde y entretención en
Santiago, dejo entrar a un barco medieval y con maldadosos piratas escondidos adentro, que tiene entre sus cargamentos una sabana contagiada de plagas de oscuridad y anti'pop.Solos y rarezas de guitarras minimalistas con ruidos electroestáticos, se esperan dejar caer Matucana 100, el Sábado 28 de Marzo a las 1pm.
TALL SIRS
Tall Firs, una banda firmemente under de Brooklyn, envía a uno de sus partes a reconocer Santiago. Por lo general estos tipos son una manada bien solida, pero cuando uno de ellos se arranca del ganado hay
probabilidades de sorprenderse con un comportamiento errático. Se
recomienda ponerse ropa con protecciones, si es que se pretende acercarse (guantes
para sostener halcones /mampara de vidrio). La próxima vezque Tall Sirs se paseé por la cuerdas será con un arpegio ahorcado o una bendición de feedback que caerá encima si es que no pierde la guitarra por completo. ¿Sábe incluso el lo que pasará?
JEREMY LEMOS/STEVE SHELLEY/MATT ZIVICH TRIO
Jeremy Lemos es uno de los dementes del duo electroestático WHITE/LIGHT. A sido
descrito por el Chicago Reader como reverberancias descorporalizadas y profundos
remesones tectónicos que se sienten en los poros, estomago y orejas. Matt Zivich es
un sabio electrónico y esperamos que lo dejen subirse al avión con lo que sea que
pretende cocinar para este show. Steve Shelley tocó en los Crucifucks.
The top poster is from class on Sunday and the folowing two are from class on Wednesday. Silkscreen class on Wednesday was missing Kayrock who seems to be atop energy pyramids in the coastal town of Zapallar. We had some of the show crew in class which made it fun. Lucha and Katiushka came out and although they did not get some real estate on the class poster they did help complete the design for the cd packaging for all the music from the show.
On Sunday we conducted a class in silkscreen for forty three people. Punto was the ringmaster talking everybody through the process. I assumed the role of a battered Vanna White and Kayrock was the printer in the garden. The goal was to design and complete a two poster in the afternoon. We achieved our goal and with a little silkscreen ¨magic¨ we ended up with three colors. Everyone drew on some film and we collaged it together around the phrase Hola Soy Otra Cosa Chao it translates as Hello I am another thing Goodbye Pablo Gonzales, Rene Valenzuela, Sebastian Bravo, and I came up with that in referance to the title of the show which is ¿Como Hacer de Algo Otra Cosa? which translates several ways but is essentially ¿How do you make something from another thing? We burned our screen and printed over the images printed in the garden. The garden prints where leaves and grass placed in Laure Michelle and exposed directly to the screen. Cindy C provided a willing surface to print on and the last color was printing on hinges in the gallery so students could understand a more precise registration technique. Everybody departed with their posters and we sat down happy and tired with a bottle of beer and some chocolate ice cream and piÑa flavored sherbert. The pictures here wher taken by Diego Maya who was a student of he class and also runs this blogspot which looks pretty cool. Check it http://futurocomics.blogspot.com/
Arrived in Santiago on Friday. American Airlines failed to transfer my luggage in Miami which resulted in me having no vinyl to play at the Macaroni show and only a dirty white tshirt to wear. After a nap, we arrived in Matucana 100 to eat with Nea and the gang. Before dinner the amazing Constanza Alamos and I worked out a scheme to fabricate a shirt for my evening, The result is what you see above. A couture teeshirt from the mastermind behind AM/FM. The evening was a hit even if all the music ended up being compressed music files. Macaroni was awesome and ended their set with a rapping guest vocal from Dominka. Kayrock, Dominka, and I went one for one the rest of the night.
I can only speak volumes of how great the two day whirlwind tour was with Tall Firs & Talk Normal. I already passed my Talk Normal pin along to another human who appreciated the phrase and will soon appreciate the band too. The only really notable pictures taken on tour where one of Ryan Sawyer with a broken tree off in the distance and a slice of toast covered in ketchup. When lurking in a bar in Northampton watching hockey, drinking brews and reading the paper I found these two potentially bad band names in the paper.
The Prototype here is Cindy C. Cindy C was designed as a companion to Laura Michelle by Punto Lobito Inc. Int. in Santiago,Chile this January. Cindy C comes with two screens, squegee, ink containers, ink, foam pads and two elements crucial to Laura Michelle's operation: scoop coater and emulsion. Cindy C provides a colorful melomine top designed for printing. The portable device can be set up anywhere for printing. Further updates will be made as both models begin to be used and perfected or the next few weeks in Chile.
The prototype above is Laura Michelle. She was created by Punto Lobito Inc. Int. in Santiago, Chile this last January. The device provides two screens, a squegee, foam cushions, and an exposure unit. The underside is equipped for basic printing needs and the top side (pictured) can expose emulsion coated screens to black light for exposure. There are several elements (emulsion and scoop coater) missing which are imperative the coating process but can be found in the Cindy C Model for printing.
I have a piece up at the Scope Art Fair: http://scope-art.com/Index.php/new_york/programs/ The piece is called "Other People's Scissors Some Body Else s Ideas" The drawing was created to be too large for the space and then asks the viewer to loosely follow dotted lines on the drawing to cut a piece out for themselves. The instructions request that a donation or something get let for the swatch. The opening did find the drawing dwindling and some things being left. One person left a note that proclaimed there affection for the work. Another viewer discovered a braid hidden in the drawing and left a portion of her braid in place of the drawing. The instructions were designed by the ever amazing haifischs. Anna helped install the work and I cannot thank her enough for all her help and talent.
In respect to the events which repeat in a persons life to a point that they become tradition; I decided I was about due for another bike accident on Kent Ave. This photo is from the office of my eye doctor, Dr. Andrew Naing. He dilated my pupils which you can see clearly in this shot and he dove into my inner eye. All is well despite the fact that I look like a Zombie. Allison commented that if she saw this in a movie she would think it a crappy makeup job. If it where not for the blood concentration in the eyeball most people believe it to be makeup.Dr Naing suggested hanging out in trauma at the hospital to see things that look almost comic and less real than anything in the movies.
Anna and I just finished these beautiful yet stupid tour posters for these bands. I designed them and Anna insisted on some of the color combos. We decided to skip Oj, Carly and Laura deejaying to print. There are front and back permutations of the styles and colors for exuberant attendees of the shows. The humorous aspect to that is that there are only two shows(with these bands playing) and the posters ask the person taking the object to fill in the following information: When you saw us: Where: What you felt:
My idea is to create a drawing too large for the space it is in and then have scissors available for people to cut parts of it out and take them home. I am working out some ways to insure that one person does not remove the entire drawing all at once. I think there is going to have to be some rules. if there is some rules then why not too many.
Thanks to the german connection(Anna) for this special addition to my life. A cheeseburger in a can. Bring on the Nuclear Holocaust or simply a rustic woodland scene like the one depicted on the can because that is when I really crave a Cheeseburger. As OJ put it best, "After I spend some time with this can I spend some time in the can." One could speculate that after eating your Cheeseburger you could use it's can as yours. I cannot imagine the hours that will be dedicated to contemplating the mysteries that are contained within this tiny tin.
We just finished these two versions of four pages for an upcoming Faile book in a theme of green and black. The pages fold over to make each face and then will pull out into a sort of loop to reveal the inside images (top picture). Both pages will be bound into the book because all the Failers liked it. http://www.faile.net/winter_09/
One of the last fun things done in Valpo was painting. Senor Ubses/Abses and Blok took me out to paint murals. The deal in Chile is that if you go out with a roller and a brush it is cool with the Cabelleros. if you flaunt the spray can you ask for trouble. I was a little sketchy with ideas and attitudes about the adventure. It was fine when some kids showed up and wanted to paint with us and the cops rolled by twice and said not a peep. I painted the simple mural fast of buildings and the message translates as "Life is Good..without..these". Blok did a bicyle rider that did not get finished until too late to get a good shot. Senor Abses did an awseome tree figure which is kind of his thing. We were met by another bad alien Nicki Ducci who added a dancing skeleton to a wall. We walked back up the hill having missed the bus to Santiago and got all the ingrediants to grill out at the house. Along the way the dog in the photos killed a cat on the street which was sad. We stayed up late and had a great time and left after some slow and false starts the next day which would return you to the last day in Chile post.
After hearing many frightful stories of Valparaíso like it is a port town, full of stray dogs, fleas, no beaches and and giant spralling steps up giant hills. It was decided with a flip of a coin that Punto and I would relax for a day or so on the beaches of Zapallar because Loma P and Rafi were there and it is chill we ended up on the beach in the first three photos. It is actually between the towns of La Ligua and Papudo. Rafi is seen heading towrd two narrow but waist deep bands of water that seperate the beach from the car park. We waded out and enjoyed the last bits of sunlight and surf. The wind kicked up and Rafi attempted to make us all a shelter we could live in. We headed back as the sun sank and Punto beat the last bits of life out of some seaweed. We left for Valpo the next day in a car provided to us from Loma P's Mom. We drove it down to give to her husband in Vaplo. Punto and I had a little road trip in a shaky blue sedan down the coast and into the port towns. I got to drive and we stopped for a seafood empanada tasting contest. The lady on the corner beat the heck out of the restaurant. In Valpo, I discovered a beach and shot it for comaparison. A small and sort of melancholy beach in a port town. It was all the stories and more that I had expected. It is a strange and twisted place that can enchant as quickly as it can become very real. Punto even proved that there were fleas by picking up a few.
If you reach for the red container to squirt your fries be sure you are getting hot sauce. All ketchup comes in green squeeze bottles or simply marked red packets for individual serving. This particular brand seemed more stylish maybe it is in all the name.
It didn't look or feel this bad. The day was warmer than I expected and the sun was shining. The tub looks more like my desktop full of things to edit and post so please expect the next few days to be like the annoying slide show from the trip. In the Spirit of my trip; I am going to drink beers with a German and try to continue communicating in international truncated word-hand gesture-word-word drink speak.
I returned from Zapallar and Valpo to discover a care package from Allison Busch had finally arrived for my last day. Punto and I tore it open over papas duquesa which are round balls of mashed-like potatoes prepared and eaten like tater tots. Even though Ms. Busch's life was partly spelled out in letter on the back we decided that it belonged to the wall at 1987 Union Literaria. Mr. Mercury bookends the trip. Tonight I will be a good United States tourist and eat at McDonald's and watch British television on my laptop or eat at a German restaurant and then go to a disco named Blondie for David Bowie/Electro dance night. I will decide while walking to the corner to buy a litre of beer with my bottle deposits.
...looking for the beach. From the stories I hear about Valpo it should be an adventure and since it was recommended that I leave my computer in Santiago unless I get it on with I will be off taking pictures and trying to avoid stray dags and fleas in my bed. Here are some more random shots offered up. First, it is always nice to see people glad enough for no more Bush that they celebrate in print. A UFO sighting, a portrait of the river in a couple years, and the checklist for the two portable silkscreen models. I will post some more explicit shots of Cindy C and Laura Michelle soon.
When Biking home with Punto and Muli last night we were taken by a spectacle near the President's house of a human flag. A large crane held wire that suspended a gaggle of people all touching hands and feet. This little diversion lead us to the revelation that we were all a bit hungry. We ended up at JJ Cruz which is famous for the dish you see here. It is called Chorrilla(chore-e-anna) for three. It is a bed of fries topped by onions, egg, and beef stewed to be as soft as a cube of tofu. In front of the dish is the ever famous pebre that comes with bread at most places. We then added a pitcher of Borgonatags(bore-gon-ya) which is wine sweetned with strawberries, and citrus and then chilled. Punto on the left and Multi on the right raise a tost to the beginning of an incredible culinary adventure. The walls of the restaurant were covered with tags and drawings. The music was very classic and old with songs sung by such names as Elis Regina. They had a television but it was only playing a rerun. The evening was capped off with a sauntering bike ride home but not before Multi declared, "Borgona,no joke"
The last two shots are of a Blok(upper) and Basco(lower) painting we stumbled upon when biking around. The dolphins are there to inspire Hayuk and they reminded me of an Oneida cover. The dog one is just funny.
Hereis a slightyunboundscanofthebookthatwejustfinishedprinting, cutting, andfolding. Itis a bookofhowto use someoftheplantsinthegardento cure commonailments. Theillustrationswere done by a Chileancomicartist Pedro Peiranoandtheinnerjacketdrawingis Punto. Theartistisevencurrentlyinanexhibition(http://www.dibam.cl/bellas_artes/) ofChileancomicartthat I wentandsawtoday. Weevenprinted a fabricversionofthebookwhich can be hunginthegardentochallengetheworstweather. Theworstweatherseemsto be a dryheatatleastuntilApril.
It was Loma P's birthday the other night. Punto, Loma P, Rafi, and I went to for Indian food at a hotel in Santiago. Rafi is Loma P's daughter and appears atop the shrine of Freddie Mercury. When at the beach over the New Years weekend in Zapallar; Rafi taught me a great game called Senor Lápiz. It apparently dates back to the ancient days of Loma P's childhood. A television show Cachureos birthed the mighty fighting pencil which you can see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GA-_RnNLYU You simply scribble on a piece of paper and provide a single letter of the alphabet for the person drawing. It is then their responsibility to create a drawing a of a thing that starts with that letter and fill in the word or phrase. Upon completion the person does the same and passes it on to the next person or back to the original scribbler. The drawing above is Rafi's use of my scribble and the letter Y. The phrase translates as "This is me in the morning" We filled quite some time and space with Senor Lápiz which means Mister Pencil.
These are some shots of Lunch at Matucana 100. I will try to begin to illustrate what is going on at the show. The show revolves around La Huerta(Garden) planned and plotted under the instruct of Caty Purdy. The garden was started some months ago and now is providing vegetables each day which come into the gallery area and are prepared for the artists and visitors to the show under the instruct of the two artists that function as one, nicokatiushka. Each day a different person or persons prepare the menu for the day. Around 2pm everyone gathers for lunch around the tables. The fare is has been vegetarian and vegan thus far. The large amount of people present is because all around the gallery are little work stations where costume making(Franka Y Coni) provides aprons,bags nd other needful things for workers. I will have to model my lovely new printing apron soon for you. Silkscreening which Punto and I provide informative flyers for visitors. Editorial(Rene, Camilla, and Lautaro mostly) and the library and lecture area(Maria) provide an environment for people to draw, relax and read. There is a music studio helmed by Nea Ducci. Nea will be making her musical debut in NYC in February. She is recording some of Chile's finest musicians and allowing hacks like Nicky, Lautaro, Camilla, Punto, and I to keep her late and get her drunk/stoned enough to think that a quiet keyboard, out of tune bass, guitar, bongo drums headed up by two nonstop rapping boys drinking beer out of bowls and a quietly crooning girl in a miniskirt on roller blades sounds good. The last corner of the gallery is doing some of the most exciting things, dance and yogo(Amelia). Amelia has been venturing forth into the neighborhoods surrounding Matucana 100 and bringing in children to dance, stretch and generally have a great time in a safe place other than on streets and sidewalks. The other day Nea was recording an accordion player who was doing dark minimal tracks and the children were screaming over top from the dance mats and from where I was in the gallery it sounded like a horror movie playing in the background. The whole project is being documented by Tomas, Mai, and Lucha. I do need to mention Aymara and Consuelo who have been building houses for the birds and ponds for the plants. In the second picture in the foreground is Nico Manning who is beautifully creating a 4 meter by 10 meter painting in another area of the facility. The plastic bottle tube running through the photos goes to the water tower built by Las Reinas del Agua(Dani Y Jacinta). The water tower provides water to the kitchen for food preparation and to the silkscreen section for cleaning screens. The tubes are created by loping off the ends of plastic bottles and fixing them together. If you look closely you can see that the cut off ends were recycled to become drinking glases and bowls in the kitchen.
What you see above you is an empty bottle of Tres Palos Cognac. It was used to fuel a session of playing between Punto, Nicky Ducci, and me. Tres Palos translates to English in some amusing ways. It means three different things which all occur as threes too. One meaning is three hits or blows. It was defined as being beaten to me. The next way of reading Tres Palos is 3 million Pesos. A palo can refer to a million Pesos and three amounts to roughly $4848.03 United States dollars. The last way you can think about Tres Palos is as three attempts at flirtation. This was also explained to be a sleazy kind of flirtation like, "I wish I was Bruce Lee so I could give you the Dragon Fist" I will give props to Loma P for that gem. The cost of a bottle of this fine brand of Cognac is $1650 Pesos which roughly translates to $2.666 USD. The bottle is plastic. The lid has a great drawing of some branches on it which I have sketched out here for your pleasure. I have been trying to figure how the letters on the logo might refer to the different meanings.
Here is an example of the space where we are printing. In the photo you will see Punto and Caty Purdy approaching. The next and first poster is the calender for the exhibition. The next poster was for Aymara who built all the birdhouses for the garden. She wanted to make a poster that informs the viewer about the lifestyle of the Chercán. The front is the bird in it natural habitat and the back the basics and a drawing of the birdhouse. It is a sort of baseball card for a bird.
Since it was hinted at that I should explore the local cuisine and write more about that I decided to start with the drink of the Summer. It is hot here and nothing takes the edge of f like a Michelada. The name seems to come from a name but it also contains the magic word "chela" which means beer. I have taken picture of the night that Punto and I tried our hands at making some at home. The first step is cutting some lemons. You take a little juice and put it around the rim and dip it in some salt. You then take the rest of the lemon and squeeze it into the bottom of your glass. Pour in some beer and enjoy. You can keep adding the beer as you drink it and mellow out the lemon and salt. You may also reinvigorate as you like. Also the luch in the pail from a few days ago was a garbanzo beans stew with chorizo.
Some pictures of our corner of the exhibition and the Casa de Meneca that will be converted into our pantilla coating room. Laura Michelle and Cindy C are seen chilling out with Loma P before hitting the town.
On Friday, Nico Manning, Loma P, Punto, and I made it all the way to Rapanui. It was the bar not the Easter Island but it was fun. We danced until stupid late and on the trip back Punto conquered another fountain. The other picture is Loma P doing her best Moai while holding a piece of birthday cake that looks more like some TNT.
Here are some shots of Laura Michelle and Cindy C. The first picture is Laura Michelle with her lights on and next is Cindy C's printing side. They are the portable screen printing boxes that Punto and I have designed for the impending show. The boxes will hold two screens, one squeegee, one scoop coater, and lights for exposing the screen. We are working out how to include the liquid elements required for screen printing. The emulsion for coating the screens and the inks necessary for printing may be included or placed in an accompanying box or bag. I have included the drawings explaining some things. I will post a more thorough documentation of the ladies as they come to completion.
After some looking I scored this giant bike to ride around Santiago. You can tell it is giant because you can compare it to the size of this public fountain. After working at Matucana 100(There is an update about the show: http://www.m100.cl/2009_01_otra_cosa.php) all day, the bike man showed up with this awesome bike. Before you pass judgment on it as a silly Eurotrash bike take this into consideration. It is a classic Chilean bike made right here in the 1970s. I was assured that everybody rode them then and most of the people I see riding them are old dudes that pimp them out. So all I need to do to fit in is pimp the thing cuz I got the rest covered. We rode back to the house through the parks catching glimpses of people making out, giant colorful fountains, the sun setting on the Andes Mountains, shallow rivers, and a Ufo with commercial value. Of course all of these things are better left to the imagination and the pictures come from a crappy fountain in front of a drugstore whose counterpart would be Duane Reade. They are a somewhat new occurance here. They build they fountains to give them some credible history like TGIFridays which I am sure is on the plane here now.
The first yield of fruits and vegetables prepared from the garden of La Huerta. Tomate(tomato), beterraga(beets), pepino(cucumber), repollo(cabbage), zapallo italiano(zucchini), and acelga(greens) were all grown in the garden and tasted especially great after a day of work.
The pond waiting for walls and water.
The bodega designed and built by Nicki (kicking stone behind wheelbarrow)
The Garden of La Huerta. The garden was started and cared for many weeks before these photos were taken. On Sunday everybody gathered to work in the garden all day and prepare it for the unveiling and eventual harvest. Loreto came and cut the hairs of several people including me. I think she will return to continue to transform the hairs around Matucana into the locks of movie stars. At least, she did that for Camilla and Punto. The long locks of Winter were shed to the heat of Summer. Mario(below) from Los Tilos(the houses behind Matucana) became the mover of mouintains. He inspired Punto and me to work with him to move the mountain of dirt from the pond to get to it's final spot. The sun set and everyone drifted off to rest before the busy days of assembling all the areas of the show tomorrow. The gallery will house a recording studio, sewing section, dance and yoga, drawing tables, silkscreening, and a kitchen to prepare and serve the bounty from the garden.
One Kid in Santiago,Chile owns a great record and has a sense of humor. I am sure there are more but props to this one. It made me want to listen to the record on a lazy Saturday which rested like a Sunday.
On the 31st, Punto, Chana(Punto's Puppy) and I ventured to Mami's car and travelled to Zapallar. It is a beautiful town north of Santiago on the coast. We were stuck in traffic and arrived too late to meet up with Punto's Papi. We did stumbe upon Loma P with a tray full of eggs. First, we needed to find Papi so we ventured down to the beach. We passed along the length of the beach, past all the colonies of Pre-teen/teenage virus polluting the natural beauty and happened upon the hill you see above. We wandered around and up it to the top. There we found the Shrine you see above but it was dark and there was only us until a closer examination revealed a portrait of the man who some claim is my father albeit illegitimate. Yes, some enlightened soul had pasted a picture of the goodly departed Mr. Mercury to our delight. We decided to return at the end of our trip with a candle for a blessing. We ended up at Loma P's house to change and go to Camilla's parents house. All the Papis and Mamis were there to celebrate the last moments of the year together. The fireworks lasted for ever but not as long as the dancing. We warmed up at the house and then made our way to the town party. We danced until early in the morning with a live band that just wouldn't slow down. Whole families were making the most of it most all of the night. We ended with a bad bowl of fries and off to find the place where we would rest our heads. Loma P and her brother Tomas dropped us off in an early morning mist. We walked up the path to find three doors and only one the right door to bed. We woke one wrong house and then one right one. The next day was Pisco Sours with Mr. Balbontin, the beach, Bloody Marys with Ms Loma P and Rafi. We then decided to make the pilgrimage to the Shrine De Santo Freddie . We met up with another pilgrim along our trek and made our ascent. We lite three candles and rested atop the shrine until into the trees we went.
In the later hours of last night, Punto (Elisita) and I biked home and relaxed. I inquired into the existence of a guitar in order to play upon. The query yielded two likely candidates. One was electric and the other acoustic; I chose the acoustic since the garden of Union de literaria 1987 was opem and late. Punto was painting and I was playing the slop that comprises the skeletons of the Red Dawn II catalog. I coated my fingers with the dust and soot of the strings for some time. Multi ventured out to get us all beers and came back with some friends too. We commenced to do exactly what Red Dawn II does at practice. We listened to music and drank beer. Tomas from Los Howlers(http://www.myspace.com/loshowlers) played his band. Nacho showed up with some Pisco and made quite sure that I would have my first Pisco and Coke. The evening wound down with talk of homosexual Satanists and the above pile of bottles.
We went to the http://www.nacional-libreria.cl/ today and got donations of materials for the show. A cafe at Cafe Haiti. The afternoon was making sure there was first aid supplies(hoping Nicky doesn't get too many stitches for being tall) and buying lights for an screen exposure unit. The hardware mall is pretty ruling.
I landed in Santiago today via Toronto. Elisita met me at the airport and we went to lunch. I ordered the above with a little help. The first drawing is of a type of bread that came with lunch. I am now at the art space which is http://www.m100.cl/index.php It is large, beautiful and filled with many friendly faces that are all about to go to work on the show. There are plants being grown to provide sustenance, tables being built, and a lot of sketching to determine what to do next.
